| Pinhoti Trail | |
| Length Mi: | 335 |
| Trailheads: | Flagg Mountain in Alabama / Benton MacKaye Trail in Georgia |
| Use: | Hiking & MTB |
| Grade: | 8% |
| Season: | all |
| Months: | all |
| Surface: | Soil |
The Pinhoti Trail is a Southern Appalachian Mountains long-distance trail, 335miles in length, located in the United States within the states of Alabama and Georgia. The trail's southern terminus is on Flagg Mountain, near Weogufka, Alabama, the southernmost peak in the state that rises over 1000feet. (The mountain is often called the southernmost Appalachian peak, though by most geological reckonings, the actual Appalachian range ends somewhat farther north in Alabama.) The trail's northern terminus is where it joins the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trail's highest point is Buddy Cove Gap, with an elevation of3164 feet near the Cohutta Wilderness. Its lowest point above sea level is close to Weogufka Creek near Weogufka State Forest at 545 feet.
The Pinhoti Trail is a part of the Eastern Continental Trail and the Great Eastern Trail, both very long-distance US hiking trails connecting multiple states.
The north terminus is approximately 26miles northwest of Springer Mountain, which is the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.[1]
Georgia has about 164miles of the trail, and Alabama contains the other 171miles of the 335miles trail.[2]
From the Pinhoti Trail Alliance. The PTA Facebook account has the most history and current trail conditions online.
"The Pinhoti Trail is considered the realization of forester Benton MacKaye's original 1921 vision of a trail extending the length of the Appalachian Mountain chain, connecting several existing trails, and sprinkled with permanent camps and constructed to "stimulate every line of outdoor non-industrial endeavor," including recreation, recuperation, agriculture and study. He hoped to spark a "back to the land" movement to relieve the ills of urban industrial life." https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Pinhoti_Trail
From the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association website:
Construction of the Alabama Pinhoti Trail began in 1970 within the Talladega National Forest in east central and northeast Alabama. In 1977, the Talledega National Forest portions of the trail were designated a National Recreation Trail.[3] By 1983, 60miles of trail had been constructed and Mike Leonard of the Alabama Wilderness Coalition proposed connecting the Pinhoti to the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. The U.S. Forest Service and Alabama's Forever Wild land trust aided in the acquisition of major wilderness tracts. The Pinhoti Trail currently travels through some of those acquired lands and others in which it is planned to go through.[4]
The Pinhoti Trail was initially completed in February 2008, and officially opened to the public on March 16, 2008. Efforts continue to improve the trail, mainly involving moving road walk sections of the trail onto trails away from the road.[5] [6] A new southern terminus of the trail at the base of Flagg Mountain, opened in March 2015.[7]
Occasionally, a small but vocal group of Alabama hiking groups have been advocating to officially designate the Pinhoti Trail as a part of the Appalachian Trail — a move that would make Flagg Mountain the southern terminus of the AT.[8] However, these attempts have garnered a significant amount of backlash from Facebook communities dedicated to the Alabama Pinhoti Trail, though the effort has extensive support among Alabama citizens and Alabama State Government.[9]